Blood Whore
by YamiMagicianGirl
Summary: Rose Hathaway wasn't welcomed back to St. Vladimir's like she thought she would be. After making a flippant comment about going to live with blood whores, Kirova decides to take her up on it. Without Lissa or any of her friends, and only a few select guardians who remain her ties to the normal world, how will she survive? RxD Horrible summary, I know, but give it a chance!:D
1. Chapter 1

**I know I'm such a bad person for writing this when i should be ud'ing my other stories, but I'm suffering from severe writer's block atm!:/**

**This idea has been playing around in my head for a while, so i thought i'd make a note of it in case i forgot... but that note sort of turned into a chapter so i thought, why not? i'll just upload it:p**

**This story is about Kirova sending Rose off to live in a dhampir commune without Lissa or anyone else to keep her sane. Only one person can help her out of her depression... ;)**

**I think this'll just be a short story, but let's see how it goes:D**

**Also, i know Kirova probably doesnt have as much authority as i have given her in this story... but let's just ignore the logistics and let the story unfold..:D**

**Hope you enjoy this!**

**Annie**

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BLOOD WHORE 1

"Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my _father_?"

Kirova's eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke again, my voice was so cold I barely recognised it.

"Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day."

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea, after the reputation you've made for yourself."

The whole room stopped moving for a second. That guy Dimitri exchanged a look with Alberta: to the untrained eye both faces were blank, but I knew beneath the surface they were both as shocked as I was. I didn't even know if Kirova was authorised to threaten me like that, and hell if I was going to let her get away with it.

"Come on, Liss," I said, pulling my frozen best friend up by the arm. She stared at me, her green eyes wide as dinner plates. "We're leaving. Now."

"Miss Hathaway. If you know what's good for you, you will sit back down."

I ignored her and made my way to the door, trailing Lissa behind me. Dimitri suddenly stepped in, right in front of us, his face carefully impassive.

"Move," I told him. Kirova made a noise of disgust behind me.

"No," he replied with finality. From his greater height he met my eyes, obviously trying to convey some kind of message. Then quietly he said, only to me, "Sit back down and behave yourself. I won't let her send you away, alright?"

I didn't know why he was being so nice all of a sudden, but I decided to humour him. If things didn't go my way we could always make our escape later.

I retook my seat and glared across the table at Kirova. "You're bluffing."

"I most certainly am not," she scoffed, as though she took my words as a personal insult. "You were right before: I cannot send you back to either your mother or father, and we have no place for you here. Maybe it would be best for you to live with dhampirs who are more suited to you than the hardworking novices we have here."

One of the things I'd obviously missed in training while Lissa and I were living in the human world was how to hide behind my guardian mask. I didn't think I'd ever looked further from calm. But how could I, after essentially being called a blood whore? My mouth was hanging open from shock for all of three seconds before the anger set in.

Blood whores were the lowest of the low in our world. Moroi needed blood to live: that much was true. But they got it from humans, feeders who volunteered themselves as lunch to experience the high left behind after a vampire bite continually. Things changed if a dhampir was the one giving blood though. To willingly let any Moroi drink from us was considered dirty, but to allow it during sex was probably the most kinky, unacceptable thing a dhampir could do. The ones who did this were called blood whores. It was a strong accusation to make against someone, much less with witnesses.

She was a headmistress for god's sakes! She couldn't go around calling her students blood whores. As my fury boiled over, pounding through my veins like fire, I jumped out of my chair. It wouldn't have been above me right then to leap over the desk and wipe the stupid smirk off of Kirova's face.

I was just considering it—because between my anger and Lissa's coming through the bond, there wasn't much in the way of rationality in my head right then—when a strong hand took me by the shoulder and pushed me back into my chair. I glared up at its owner, frustrated that I still seemed to be viewed by everyone here as the one in the wrong.

Dimitri returned my glare for a second, his face hard, before he realised I wasn't worth his time and turned to face Kirova. I flippantly remembered his promise to help me from earlier. Some good he was doing so far: I'm sure his silence would convince Kirova to change her mind. Hell, she'd probably shower me with gifts and let me live in one of the posh rooms in guest quarters too.

As if Lissa could read my acidic thoughts, she sent feelings of calm through the bond. Right now, though, it wasn't helping.

"Headmistress, with all due respect," Dimitri took a deep breath, "On what grounds are you planning to send Rose away?" I was well aware of his hand still resting on my shoulder; even more so when he squeezed it, as if to say '_I told you I'd help_.'

"Belikov, it would be in your best interest to kindly stay out of this. You were not a guardian here for the first fifteen years of Rosemarie's life, so it raises the question: on what grounds are you supporting her?"

Ouch. I winced a little hearing her twist Dimitri's earlier words like that. Lissa hung her head beside me. I knew this was it for me now. No way was a guardian going to deliberately ignore orders from his superior to stand up for some rogue student.

"Guardian Belikov…" Alberta said quietly. Her voice held a warning. Back away and you won't be pulled up on your actions. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. If even Alberta: fair, kind Alberta who had known me since before I could read, Alberta who was like the mother I'd never known, was giving up on me, then that was it.

I hung my head like Lissa had. It felt like I didn't have the physical strength to hold it up any longer.

"I am supporting her because I know she has the potential to be a great guardian. You know as well as I do that guardian numbers are falling: females in particular are rare. Are you telling me you're going to send away a perfectly capable, determined young woman because of mistakes she made in the past?"

Dimitri had spoken in my favour again, and I was really starting to feel grateful. He wasn't holding anything back. I still wondered why he was playing the knight in shining armour all of a sudden though.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying." Boy, Kirova was pissed. If looks could kill, all that would be left of me and Dimitri would be the chalk outlines on the floor. I snickered at that thought, which just cranked her anger up a few hundred notches. "Don't you all see what I see? Rosemarie is neither capable nor determined!" she screeched, mocking Dimitri. "She is wild and disrespectful, and does not deserve to be a guardian after a history of acting out and creating problems for everyone here at the Academy!"

"I didn't say she wasn't wild, nor did I say she was respectful," Dimitri said after a long silence. I turned my glare on him, trying to mask the hurt that flashed through me. I had really thought he was fighting my corner. Guess it was just Lissa and me, against the world.

Again.

I was about to interrupt and enquire just who the hell he thought he was, but he continued to speak. "However, after spending just a short time with her, I can tell she is completely loyal to the princess and is willing to learn whatever is deemed necessary for her to graduate in the spring."

This guy was bipolar. I couldn't decide if Dimitri wanted me to stay or not. I made a conscious choice to hold back on the insults for now, in case he'd decided he was going to help me. As someone prophetic would probably say: 'Don't bite at the hand that feeds you.' I'd never really understood the phrase but it was kind of starting to make sense now.

"After missing two years of classes, I really can't see Rosemarie being fit to graduate. And besides, she has never been _willing to learn_, nor will she ever be. That's enough I've heard from you now, Guardian Belikov. You're dismissed."

His eyes turned a little desperate, although his face was still blank. "But they have—"

_A bond_? I wondered. How would he know that?

"Go. Guardian Petrov, you are also free to leave. Vasilisa—"

"Headmistress, if I could say something?"

Kirova sighed, but I knew she was reluctant to disobey Lissa. "Quickly."

Everything in the room disappeared for a few seconds. Alberta left the room and beckoned for Dimitri to come with her. He squeezed my shoulder once more—apologetically this time—and left with her. I saw only him as he shut the door, avoiding eye contact. Out of my two supporters, only one was left.

Thankfully, that one lone fan of me was strong and brilliant, and I loved her.

"Headmistress Kirova, you can't send Rose away. Guardian Belikov was right: she's determined and if you let her back to classes she can learn enough to graduate. Someone could tutor her on the side, too, if that was found necessary, and—"

I wasn't sure about all this extra work Lissa was signing me up for, but I decided to roll with it if it meant we could stay together.

"She's right," I agreed, adding some unprintable names in my mind. I'd decided politeness was the best route to take now, one seldom walked by the likes of Rose Hathaway. "I'll do whatever it takes to be Lissa's guardian."

"I'm afraid my decision has been made. Vasilisa, if you would send Guardian Belikov back in here and ask Guardian Petrov to take you to class, I would be very grateful."

Lissa and I exchanged a look. I think we were both wondering how the hell she was supposed to find the two of them.

"I have a feeling they're still outside the office," Kirova explained dryly. Sure enough, when Lissa opened the door, the two guardians looked up from where they'd been speaking quietly to each other. They both looked a little embarrassed at having been caught.

"Guardian Belikov," Lissa called politely. He raised one eyebrow. Cool. Through my anger, I was kind of jealous. I'd always wanted to be able to do that. "Headmistress Kirova would like to see you. Guardian Petrov, I've been instructed to return to my classes, if you would be so kind as to escort me."

Jeez. I knew Lissa was fuming: the emotions coming through the bond almost overrode my own. But somehow, she was still the picture of all things princessy, polite and lovely outwardly. That was real self-control.

She shot me a supportive smile as she slipped back out into the corridor. Then Dimitri came back inside, shut the door and crossed the room to stand beside my chair.

"Take a seat, Guardian Belikov," Kirova offered coldly. He obviously wasn't back in her good books just yet.

He took the hint that she didn't want to be messed with and folded himself gracefully into the chair beside me. I was still puzzling through how he could do that: at six foot—six, seven, whatever—he should've been about as graceful as a giraffe. It was weird.

Kirova turned her back on us and called someone as we watched with confusion. It sounded like she was asking for available guardians to come up to her office. Great.

"Guardian Belikov," she said as she turned back to face us. "You will take Rosemarie to the conference room in the guardian building and hold her there until necessary arrangements for her departure have been arranged. A few other guardians are going to accompany you in case you—" She cleared her throat, abruptly ending the sentence.

She really thought he'd do that? Standing up for me was one thing, but actually helping me get out of the Academy was something no guardian would ever do. In fact, he'd more than likely lose his job if he tried that.

"Understood," he answered coldly. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. How could she think that of him? "Come on."

I stood up slowly like I was going to go without a fight, but turned at the last second and slammed my hands down on Kirova's desk: a huge sturdy thing that was far too big for anything her job required.

I had the satisfaction of seeing her jump before she composed herself.

"_Miss_ _Hatha_—"

"You can not _do_ this!" I shouted. I'd completely lost my patience now. "No way am I just going to _let_ you send me off to be a blood whore. I have more balls than almost anyone in this school. Before I left I could've beaten any one of my classmates in a fight, and you know that. Don't try and pretend like this is for my own good. I know you've always had it in for me."

"Guardian Belikov, please remove Miss Hathaway from my office immediately." I was glad to hear she sounded a little shaken.

Dimitri came up behind me and grabbed me by the arms. His hold on me wasn't painful, but it was certainly firm. I knew I would get nowhere if I tried to move. "Come on. You don't need to say anything else."

"Hell, I have plenty more I could say to this old bag." Hey, if was going down, I might as well do it in true Rose Hathaway style. "But I perform better with an audience."

Kirova let out a gasp, trying to act all hurt. I threw her a flippant glare: that was my way of telling her to get a grip.

"If this is you at your worst, I'd hate to see you at your best," Dimitri muttered, and forcibly dragged me from the room. Three guardians were just coming down the hallway, but stopped when they saw us.

"So _you're_ Kirova's current pain in the ass. Guess I shouldn't be surprised," Eric McDonnagh, a particularly vocal guardian, one I'd been on good terms with before I'd left, said with a chuckle. He was a young guy who'd transferred from the Academy in Scotland three years ago. He had an accent something like my mother's. "What did you do to her this time?"

"Are you talking about what I did just now, or what I did earlier? I can give you a detailed play-by-play of both. Most recently I called her an old bag which—"

"Rose, enough."

I cut Dimitri a glare. "Fine. Take me to wherever. I don't even care anymore."

Little did he know I felt like crying as I watched my life crumble in front of my eyes. There was no chance of me being Lissa's guardian, now or ever. I couldn't be a guardian, period. My mom would completely disown me—she kind of had already, but whatever—and my dad would probably be disgusted, wherever in the world he was. My classmates wouldn't want to know me; hell, maybe even Lissa wouldn't want to see me any more. With a wince, I cut my thoughts off right there and focused on the issue at hand.

"I know you still care, Rose. You care a lot more than you're letting on," Dimitri whispered, quiet enough for only me to hear. I stared up at him, wondering how he could sound so sure. Was my blasé act not as convincing as I'd thought?

With a shake of my head, I asked myself a question that had been playing on my mind since we'd left the office. Should I go without a fight or make life hell for everyone?

I made a decision as I walked, flanked by Dimitri and Guardian Dave Bailey on one side, and Eric and Guardian Joseph Kudrov on my other side. Thankfully class had just started so I didn't have any witnesses to my walk of shame.

I'd decided to co-operate with the guardians because they were just doing their jobs, but as soon as Kirova came back into the picture I was sure to fly off the handle. Happy with this plan, I stayed uncharacteristically silent as I was walked to the conference room. It was bland and rectangular, with a long glass table and eight chairs. A podium was set up at the top of the room.

I sat down at the table and quickly noticed there was a small window, about a foot and a half across by one foot up. I averted my eyes and pretended I hadn't seen it. The four guardians went to stand outside the door, warning me not to try anything. They left the door open just a little bit, enough for me to hear Dimitri filling them in on what happened. All three of them seemed shocked and, like me, questioned Kirova's authority to do something this serious.

I was a little touched by the guardians' concern for me. None of them wanted to send me off to live with blood whores, but knew they couldn't disobey a direct order or help me avoid my predicament in any way lest they lose their jobs. And as Guardian Bailey pointed out, how would it make a difference anyway? The highest person of authority in the Moroi world was the queen, and she certainly wouldn't object to me being sent away.

Having heard enough, I stood up and crept to the window, praying it wouldn't creak as I opened it. Thankfully it didn't, and I looked out. This was easy work for me: I used to climb out of my second storey dorm room window all the time. We were on the ground floor, so all I had to do was get up and out.

Unfortunately, the window was one whereby the panel was quite large, but only a small portion of it actually opened. The window itself was about three feet by two feet, but only half of that actually opened. Still, this meant the windowsill was built low, which was lucky for me. I clambered up onto the sill, hanging onto the window frame by my fingertips as I steadied myself. The conversation outside quietened as Dimitri excused himself. I stayed stock still, worrying they would hear me.

Finally, someone started making small talk and I resumed my task. I sat back against the frame and lifted my left leg out, groping with my foot for the sill on the other side. Once I found it, it was easy work to swing my other leg out and lower myself onto the ground. I dropped down and rolled along the grass before landing in a crouch at someone's feet. Without looking up, I knew I was busted.

"Impressive," came a low voice, one laced with a slight Russian accent. I cursed under my breath. "I knew the second I saw you eyeing the window that you'd try to escape. Really, you could've been less obvious."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Was the fact that the window was my only way of escaping not obvious enough? Did you want me to walk through the wall? You know I'm grasping at straws here, don't make it worse." My voice sounded oddly vulnerable at the end, something completely uncharacteristic for me.

Dimitri seemed to notice this too, because his eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

I followed him back inside, and we were met by the curious stares of the other guardians. They were obviously wondering how the hell I had got out past them.

"She got out the window," Dimitri explained. "I'm going to stay in the room with her, just in case."

We passed by them, back into the conference room. Dimitri immediately pulled up a chair and took it to the window. Again I was startled by his graceful movements.

"Dimitri?" I asked after a long silence. He looked up, meeting my eyes. I was momentarily stunned by how good looking he was… again. Jeez. "I…uh, I just wanted to say… thank you."

"For what?"

I stared at him. He hadn't committed enough gallant acts for me to _pick_ which one I wanted to thank him for. "For standing up for me earlier. It means a lot."

I hated being so sentimental, but I felt like it had to be said. He had to know I appreciated the fact that he believed in me.

"I'm not done yet," he said quietly, surprising me. "I'll try my hardest to make her let you stay, but I can't promise anything."

"But why would you do that? You might lose your job."

"I'm doing it because I can see you love Vasilisa, and you want to protect her. I know what that feels like. I'm doing it because Headmistress Kirova is wrong, and she needs to realise that before she makes a mistake. I'm doing it because I would protect my sisters if anyone tried to send them somewhere they didn't want to go. I'll do the same for you. I'm doing it because I'm almost sure you and the princess are bonded, and that kind of occurrence is rare, and the best guardians are bonded to their charges. And I'm doing it," his words had been coming out in a rush, but he gradually slowed now as he came to the end of his rant, "Because my mother has had bad experiences with a Moroi who thought he could walk all over her, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I won't let that happen to you, especially now that I'm partially responsible for you."

Okay, that was a lot to take in. From what I'd seen of him so far, Dimitri didn't talk much. So for him to have so many reasons for helping me…well, it seemed strange to hear him say so much at once.

As I slowly puzzled through everything he'd said, I almost choked. Like earlier, I wondered how in the _hell_ had he could've known about our bond. "How did you figure it out?"

He knew immediately what I was talking about and shrugged, like it was no big deal. "The signs were obvious from the beginning."

I wondered how he knew what the signs were in the first place, but decided not to push my luck. He'd helped me so much already.

Without realising it, we fell into silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, more thoughtful. We both had a lot on our minds.

I subtly studied Dimitri as the quiet stretched on. Of course he was insanely hot: that was the first thing I noticed about him. The dark hair, tanned skin, perfectly angular features… and the eyes. They were eyes that had watched people die by his hand, yet they had regarded me with complete calm since I'd met him. Once or twice I'd even caught Dimitri looking at me with something akin to sympathy. I usually broke someone's nose at the first sign of pity, but it seemed so unusual coming from him that I decided to take it as a sort of compliment.

According to the clock on the wall, we sat like that for an hour. And then Kirova had to barge in and disturb the peace. With her came the three guardians who had been standing outside the door.

Dimitri snapped to attention upon their arrival, his thoughtfulness gone for now. His guardian mask slipped down over his face, his eyes now blank.

"Alright," Kirova said, standing at the top of the table. She set down a page that looked like a map. "The nearest commune to here is about an hour away. Rose, you will be gone within the hour. The four guardians present will accompany you, and will from now on be responsible for you."

I raised my eyebrows at this.

"Just because you don't deserve a place at this Academy doesn't mean I want to throw you out to fend for yourself completely alone." She appeared miffed that I would even consider such a thing.

I snickered a little under my breath, but stopped abruptly when I intercepted a look from Dimitri that was telling me to shut up. It was like a bucket of ice water down my back.

"Anyway," Kirova sniffed. "I'll leave it up to you guardians to decide when and how you'd like to schedule your visits to check up on Rosemarie. I would advise bi-daily trips for the first week or so, just until you get settled in." She shot me a sickly sweet smile. "Overnight and weekend visits are permitted, should they be necessary."

"You will be kept under loose surveillance to make sure you don't try to run away, Rosemarie. And just remember, we're not sending you there for life. You just have to stay until you turn eighteen, or your legal guardian comes to claim ownership of you." I swear I wanted to knock her teeth into her skull for saying that. As if my mom was going to come pick me up from a blood whore commune.

"Yeah, if you even tell her I'm not back at the Academy," I muttered.

"What was that?" she asked.

I just glared at her.

"And Rosemarie, please keep in mind that dhampir communes aren't half as bad as their reputation."

"So you say."

Now it was her turn to glare.

"Can I at least say goodbye to Lissa? And get my things?" There was a pleading note in my voice that I didn't like one bit. I hated to feel like I was weaker than someone else, but right now, I certainly wasn't holding the right hand to think otherwise.

"Your belongings have been packed up and are waiting for you outside. And I've already spoken to Vasilisa. She understands that you're to have a clean break from each other and that it is impossible for you to see each other again."

"Bullshit!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. I was going to take everything on the chin, pretend to be a good little girl until we got there, so I could escape and Lissa and I could run off again. But to be forced to leave her here alone, while she was going out of her mind with worry? No way.

"Watch your tongue, young lady."

"It doesn't take much to organise a five minute goodbye meeting," I growled, ignoring her comment.

"Headmistress, I think Rose is—"

"NO! Just whose side are you on, Guardian McDonnagh?" Kirova hissed. I thought the answer was obvious despite his words: all guardians answered to the system.

The look the four guardians shared made me think otherwise. They thought the system was wrong this time. That it was unfair. I agreed with them, unsurprisingly.

"Headmistress, is there anything we can say to change your mind? None of us here want to lose someone with as much potential as Rose has." I hadn't expected Dimitri to put it so bluntly.

"How on earth can you see potential in this… this rogue?" Kirova half-screeched.

"Her mother," said Eric, taking over from Dimitri. "If she turns out anything like Janine…"

"Really, I think one Hathaway guardian in the world is enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to," she snapped, moving to the door.

Dimitri looked around, his eyes showing the slightest signs of desperation. I knew whatever he said now was his last resort. He knew it too. "They have a bond," he said suddenly. Of course that would be it.

Kirova turned her hawk-like eyes on him. "That's not true."

The other three guardians looked between themselves and then fixed me with stares that made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"It is," Dimitri argued calmly. "Rose knows what Lissa is feeling. Don't you?"

"Umm…" I was momentarily stunned by this turn of events. "I mean, yeah. It's true. Lissa and I have a bond."

"How long has this been going on then?"

"A few years," I answered blandly. "Look, I know you're not going to believe me but it's true. If you still want to send me away, that's your loss."

"Rose is right. All the best guardians were bonded to their charges," Dimitri said, echoing his words from earlier.

"Well as much as I don't want to waste this rare talent," Kirova said sarcastically as she opened the door. "Rose has committed too many crimes against this school for me to be lenient."

And with that she left.

I cursed, breaking the silence. "Someone tell me she's bluffing."

Dimitri shook his head. "Come on. We have to leave soon."

I followed him with a sigh. The only thing that kept me sane was the belief that I would have broken out of the commune by evening and be able to come back and take Lissa away from this place.

I might've seemed like I was being strangely co-operative, but really I was just playing the game.

I was surprised to see my small collection of belongings from Portland sitting in boxes outside the room. They hadn't been there when Dimitri had caught me climbing out the window.

The guardians with me all took a box or two each, despite my offers to carry something, and led me across campus to the garage. The boxes went into the trunk and I was bundled into the back seat.

Dimitri drove, with Guardian Bailey in the passenger seat, while Guardians McDonnagh and Kudrov on either side of me. That meant I had no window to look out of, and none of the guardians seemed to be up for a conversation.

As we pulled out of the Academy, I felt something I never thought I'd feel as I looked over the familiar old buildings and iron gates. Regret. Sadness. My life thus far had kind of sucked, but any good times I'd had, they'd gone down right here. This place was the only home I'd ever known, and to know it had so violently rejected me was painful. I was leaving so many friends here, so many memories. Lissa, first and foremost. Then I remembered people from before I left. Mason Ashford. Eddie Castile. Jesse Zeklos. Even Lissa's hapless cousin Natalie Dashkov. Too many people to miss.

I shut off my brain before I could start crying. No point dwelling on all that when Lissa and I would be well away from here by nightfall anyway.

The drive was completely silent, save for Guardian Bailey giving Dimitri the odd direction here and there to keep him on the right road.

It was only after about fifty minutes that I realised I should've been watching where we were going. I swore internally and took everything in from then on, not that it would do much good.

Finally, we slowed down as we pulled into what looked like a small, abandoned town. There were plenty of houses, but a lot had boarded up windows and graffiti covered walls. I swallowed a little. Dimitri leaned forward in the driver's seat and looked out the windscreen as he slowed to a stop outside one of the nicer looking houses.

It was redbrick, with a black front door and pretty windows that looked like they'd come straight out of a drawing. Small, colourful flowers grew in the tiny garden, which instantly made me feel a little better.

"This might not be so bad." Everyone stared at me. "In the short term."

Then the front door opened. A young dhampir woman stepped out wearing nothing but a tiny red dress. Her hair was a mess and her makeup had run, which made her look like she had been out the night before and hadn't gone home since. I realised with a heavy feeling in my stomach that this was probably the case.

She teetered down the path in her high heels with a goofy grin and set off down the road, completely unaware of us. It was only when she turned away from us that I noticed the multiple bite marks on her neck.

I could feel my face draining of its colour. I would stay here for a day or two, sure, but no way was I selling myself out like some cheap whore.

Dimitri swore viciously in Russian under his breath, startling us all. His eyes were still on the inebriated dhampir woman. "I didn't know there were still communes like this out here."

His comment held a strong question, one I definitely didn't want to hear the answer to.

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**So that's chapter one!**

**What's the verdict? Should i continue with this? **

**As always, reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated, and i really would like to know what you all think of this so far:D **

**Thanks again,**

**Annie x **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there guys!**

**Sorry for the really long gap between chapters; it's not really the best way to get a story going, is it?:B I've started my GCSE's, so homework is at an all time high right now!**

**It's probably better I haven't updated in a while, though, because now I've had plenty of time to think about this story (during class hours, mostly, haha). When I wrote ch.1, this was a boy-meets-damaged-lonely-girl-and-they-fall-in-lov e-and-live-happily-ever-after kinda story, but now I've added a few little subplots and character arcs which will make it so much better:D**

**For anyone who reads any of my other stories, Crossed Wires is next on my list. I've got half a chapter down, but I'm kind of reluctant to finish it because it's kind of cheesy (like cowboy-western-cheesy)!:L so any thoughts on that would be good!**

**Thanks to all who reviewed ch.1: fredforevermyluv, Popalopalas, xXxVampChicaxXx, Twilight, SophieHolmesWatson, Guest, WideEyedDreamer01, Twilight, Olivia Williams, delenawolves, P. A. S. A, VampGirl4EverandEver, BooksAndMusic, TheLastDragomir95, 101998, Guest, Fanfictionlove, Valy Bee, All I Want Is To Be Wanted, snuffles17, Kayla, sunayna4sho, RozaRoseBelikov, MyRussianComrade, RiseAgainstItAll, kikihoot, booklover and Samwysesr! 28 names, phew:D Thanks again, everyone!**

**ALSO (this is the last thing, i think) WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF OUR CAST!? Personally, I was extremely skeptical at the start, which i'm kind of ashamed of now!:| I've fallen in love with Danila, Zoey and Lucy as much as everyone else on the OVAM Facebook page seems to have, which is great:D can't wait to see our Christian though:')**

**Okay, enough blethering, go read the chapter, and Imma go sleep! (it's 03:01 am *yawn*)**

**Annie**

* * *

BLOOD WHORE 2

"I am not leaving her here. We're not monsters. How does Kirova expect us to leave a seventeen year old girl to live alone with people like _her_ to look up to?" Dimitri gestured to the dhampir woman we'd seen, who was still wobbling her way down the road.

"I'd agree with you, but…" Bailey sighed. "There's not much we can do."

"I'm calling her. She can't do something like this." Dimitri was getting pissed again. Knowing his reasons for helping me made his angry words make so much more sense to me now.

The four guardians who had accompanied me were standing outside on the pavement, staring up at the house as they decided whether or not to leave me there. I was still in the car, but thanks to the window I'd—manually—rolled down a little, I could hear everything they were saying.

Dimitri pulled out his phone and punched in some numbers. I knew immediately that he was probably calling Kirova. "Headmistress—"

"I know." He sounded aggravated. "No, we've just arrived here. It's horrible." He made a face. "It would be wrong to leave Rose here. No. She doesn't deserve this. If you really don't want her back at the Academy, call her mother… alright, her father then."

I smiled a little through the gloom. Dimitri was not going to let this go easily.

"Headmistress, I will not leave a seventeen year old girl to fend for herself surrounded by these… _people_."

Suddenly, Dimitri's facial expression turned livid. I shrank back a little just looking at him. "Yes, I do have personal experience with dhampir communes, but not one like this," he growled. "Baia was a town that appreciated family and friendships. Hardly anything comparable to this hovel."

A beat of silence passed as Kirova came up with something to retaliate with.

"I'll lose my job?" Dimitri raised an eyebrow. If possible, he seemed to get angrier. "You haven't heard the end of this, headmistress."

He hung up, and turned to face me. I knew now that he knew I'd heard every word.

"Get out of the car." Some of his previous anger still leaked into his words when he spoke. I scrambled to do what he asked.

"Why's Kirova being such a bitch?" I asked. "I know she doesn't like me, but this is taking things too—"

"Rose." Dimitri's tone was final as he closed his eyes wearily. "Stop."

I shut up pretty quick, unwilling to unleash the anger still simmering in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Rosie!" McDonnagh said with just a little too much forced enthusiasm. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

The look on his face told me otherwise.

When we finally stopped stalling long enough to make it up the front walk, I noticed the door was already ajar. Had the dhampir woman forgot to close it or had someone been eavesdropping? It was too late to investigate now.

Dimitri pulled in a loud breath, almost like he was preparing himself for something painful, and dropped the knocker—a heavy tarnished thing in the shape of a crescent moon. Seconds later, the door creaked quietly, and then it was pulled back by someone standing back in the shadows.

I'd braced myself for a sleazy Moroi pimp, or maybe some kind of dominatrix housewife. What I certainly wasn't expecting was Pocahontas' great-grandmother, who looked like she'd just wandered off the nearest reservation.

The woman before us was tiny, dwarfed even more by Dimitri, who was still standing on the stoop. Her hair, straw-like and silvery, was fixed into simple braids pinned across her forehead. Eyes like glinting onyx chips sat sunken into a wrinkled, russet face. She wore a simple tan house dress, complete with what I hoped were ketchup stains.

"So you're the young'un that's gonna be spendin' some time with us here. Aren't you purdy?" the old woman talked like she'd never been to school before. I suspected she'd been born before schools were invented, some ten million years ago. Her voice was that of a heavy smoker.

I said nothing, and neither did the three guardians surrounding me. Dimitri cleared his throat, though I could sense his reluctance to talk.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I don't think we've met. I'm Dimitri Belikov, one of St. Vladimir's guardians. Myself and my colleagues would like to accompany Rose to her staying quarters, if that's alright?"

Whoa. Just me, or had Dimitri switched to chivalrous cowboy mode? It was weird to hear someone so stoic and aloof talking like he was some kind of modern day John Wayne. Whereas before I'd looked on his duster with confusion, I know noted it with amusement and understanding. Maybe Dimitri did want to be a cowboy.

I still wondered, however, what had made him go like that. It wasn't until he'd turned back to us, quietly telling the other guardians to get my things from the car, that I realised.

Big, bad, untouchable Dimitri Belikov… was scared.

Okay, so maybe _scared_ was coming on too strong. More like he was walking a tightrope between scared and wary. I remembered what he'd said earlier, in the conference room.

_I'm doing it because my mother has had bad experiences with a Moroi who thought he could walk all over her, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone_.

I was only guessing, of course, but something a little stronger than intuition told me Dimitri had had bad experiences with communes before. He was walking on thin ice as he tried to keep his cool, possibly facing his biggest fear as I stood by and watched idly.

I reached forward and put my hand on his arm. The old woman had turned away to lead us into the house, and the guardians were still down at the car, trying to figure out how to lock it with their hands full.

It felt, for less than a second, like it was just us. Dimitri's head slowly lifted and he met my eyes over his shoulder. His were deep, and sad, like he was reliving a lot of painful memories at once. I felt his body shift, and his warm, callused hand came to rest on mine for just a moment. Without saying anything, I'd offered my support. And equally wordlessly, he'd accepted it.

Then our moment was broken. The guardians clattered back up the path, the old lady turned to see why we weren't following, and all was right in the world again.

The woman beckoned us inside and closed the door once our whole party was present. She immediately bustled forward toward the wooden stairs to the left of the entryway. They appeared quite old, but ill-fitting carpet had been used to partially mask their age. I was certainly wary as I climbed them, Dimitri just behind me.

"My name," the old lady said finally, her voice gravelly, "Is Anna. You can call me Ma, like the other girlies do."

Ma's accent was so ridiculous I almost forgot where I was and started laughing. A warning glance from McDonnagh stopped me.

"We got ya the attic room. Like one of them fancy penthouses people talk about these days." She turned back and smiled, revealing a total of five teeth. I'd wondered why her_ s_ sounds were a little dodgy.

"I suppose you fellas are gonna be visitin' a lot? Lookin' out for the little girlie?"

"Yes, ma'am, if that's alright with you. You'll not even know we're here."

Okay, this seriously didn't seem like normal Dimitri behaviour. He was being overly polite, his tone guarded and controlled. I looked closer at Anna in the dim light, wondering why on earth he was being so weird.

And then I realised…

"Hold _up_!" I hadn't meant it literally, but as I stopped, so did Dimitri, who'd seen the shift in my demeanour milliseconds before he crashed into me. Unfortunately, McDonnagh, Kudrov and Bailey, weighed down with boxes, hadn't had time to stop. We all stumbled forward like free-standing dominoes as I glared up at Anna, hands on hips. "You're _human_!" I half-yelled.

"Rose!" came four simultaneous hisses from behind me. The guardians weren't happy.

Anna just laughed, which aggravated me more. "Why are ya lookin' like that, missy? I won't bite."

"I'd like to think not," I retorted. "Not with your grand total of five teeth."

"Rosemarie!" Dimitri roared, grabbing for my arm. I shook him off and took the rest of the stairs three at a time.

"Attic room, right?" I clarified, not without venom, and bounded up the next set of—smaller—stairs to my new home.

The room was small but spacious, with a drastically sloping ceiling and lemon yellow paint on the walls. A single window looked out over the front garden, underneath which was a narrow single bed and a solid wooden chest, presumably for my belongings. A stout, free-standing mirror was shoved into one corner, along with a long, low bookcase which spanned almost a metre across.

I moved to the window and perched on the edge of the bed. _My_ bed. The street outside looked surprisingly clean and well cared for, but after five minutes here, I knew it was a ruse. Directly across from the house was a perfectly square red-brick building which could've been a hotel—what with its sliding glass doors and multiple balconies.

The commune was relatively small, from what I could see. Then again, maybe I was only looking at half of it. Most of the houses appeared to be terraced, tall and narrow so as to fit as many onto each street as possible. A few blocks away, there was an extensive area of vivid green grass with something like a fountain in the centre. It was difficult to see from this distance, but it appeared to be a park of some kind.

I heard a quiet creaking noise behind me, but didn't turn. The four guardians presumably entered, and the last one in—Dimitri—shut the door with a murmured, "We'll just be a minute."

"Rosie…" The heavy silence swallowed the rest of McDonnagh's words.

"Shouldn't you guys be getting back?" My voice was thick, more so than I wanted it to be. My mind had shut itself down now, and I was trying to keep any reactions bottled up until after the guardians had left.

"Not until we've made sure you're alright here," Bailey said. The others nodded along.

"We'll also be sure to report to Kirova when we get back," Dimitri added, face perfectly smoothed into his guardian mask.

"I'll be fine. I've survived worse things." Images of the car accident which killed Lissa's family ghosted across my vision. "Besides, I've got a clean bed to sleep on, a lock on the door, and hopefully they've got plenty of food downstairs because I'm not staying otherwise." I forced a smile, which abruptly dropped as my thoughts turned to my 'clean' bed. God only knew what it had been used for before my arrival.

I bolted upright.

"Here," McDonnagh announced, his curly dark head half disappearing into the rucksack he'd had slung over his shoulder. I hadn't noticed it until now.

I looked on curiously as he resurfaced and eagerly dropped something block-like and heavy into my outstretched hand.

"I grabbed this before we left. Thought it might make you feel a little better about being here."

I looked down at the thing in my hand. Silver, outdated, with clearly-printed buttons and a green pixellated screen. It was a mobile phone, one of those ancient ones that hardly fit in the average pocket and would stay in one piece even when dropped from a fifty foot building.

"No one will even notice it's gone," he continued proudly.

"Thanks." I scrolled through the menus for what was undoubtedly the only advantage of having an ancient phone. "Hey, look. It's got _Snake_." I clicked onto the game and turned the screen to them. I'd been striving to seem excited, but had barely managed to raise my voice above a whisper. My smile twitched.

The phone seemed like a goodbye. It was all starting to sink in: where I was, what I was expected to be…

"You guys better go. I'll call if anything happens," I said quickly. I could hear the tears clogging up my voice, but hoped the guardians hadn't noticed.

Every one of them regarded me with sadness. But not because they had to leave, although that was probably part of it. It was almost like I was a hero fallen from glory, and the sight of me at my lowest was what was upsetting them. Like I was weak. Ashamed, I held open the door, vaguely noting that the boxes of my belongings were stacked neatly on the floor. "Go. Please," I said, my voice more confident than before.

Finally, after a hesitation that seemed to last minutes instead of seconds, the four guardians moved as one through the door. McDonnagh, the last in the line, turned back with that same inescapable sadness in his eyes.

Surprisingly, he'd turned back to hug me. He was the one I knew best of the four, but I didn't know if our relationship had reached this level just yet. However, if I viewed him just as a friend, with no 'guardian' label attached, I actually appreciated the gesture.

"Rosie, I'm warning you… if anyone so much as _looks_ at you without your permission, you call us and we'll be here, I promise."

For no reason whatsoever, I did something that made me feel a little guilty later. I didn't thank McDonnagh, nor did I seek his clarification of what was kind of a bold statement. Instead, I looked up over his shoulder into a pair of dark brown eyes, looking right back at me.

Dimitri made the slightest of movements, a tiny nod which achieved what McDonnagh's words couldn't. My churning stomach settled and I finally began to calm down a little. The reassurance from Dimitri made me feel inexplicably better.

I pulled away from the guardian and leaned on the door handle. "Seriously, you guys need to go. I'll be fine."

"We'll be back on Thursday." Two days from now. They were taking Kirova's advice on the bi-daily trips.

With that, they left. I turned my back as I shut the door, making sure to lock it.

My priority was escape. I crossed to the old-fashioned window in two quick strides, my hands already lifting it before I remembered the guardians. I quickly knelt on the floor, keeping my head below the window's sill. It was only open about an inch, but it was enough.

I heard male voices, and suddenly I was curious.

Would they talk about me? I would've given anything to be a fly-on-the-wall in the car home, but I would settle for this.

The front door slammed.

"How long do you think it'll take her to break out?" McDonnagh asked, not exactly quietly.

"Not long, probably. Kirova's going to have Princess Vasilisa under lock and key in case Rose 'kidnaps' her again."

"Maybe we need to have a little more faith in her. She might stay."

Silence.

"If she runs away, Headmistress Kirova will undoubtedly find a way to blame us for it. I wouldn't hold that against Rose, though. I'd run away, too." That was Dimitri. Damn him and his logical arguments. I hadn't even considered that I might get them in trouble. Could I really let four guardians, guardians who'd taken responsibility for me and all my baggage, get a black mark against their names? Or worse, lose their posts at the Academy? Yes, getting far, far away from here was important, and so was freeing Lissa from whatever danger the Academy posed to her. But was I prepared to affect so many other lives in the process?

It wasn't just the guardians who would suffer if I decided to break loose. It was their families, too. I remembered Dimitri saying he had a mother and three sisters, presumably still in Russia. Since he lived at the Academy, he didn't have to pay for accommodation, so I assumed he sent a portion of his wages back home.

What would happen to them, his family, if he lost his job? Sure, he was obviously a great guardian. Same with Bailey, Kudrov and McDonnagh. But I didn't want to be the one responsible for shaming them with a mark on their record.

A part of me whispered that maybe I could put off escape for the time being—even just until the guardians' next visit on Thursday. I needed more time to weigh pros and cons, though Lissa would always be priority.

With that thought, I lay down gingerly and closed my eyes. I needed thinking time.

As if prompted, a sharp jolt of unease spiked through the bond, and I felt the world shifting. It was almost like my consciousness was sucked out of my head and shoved into someone else's—that someone being Lissa, of course.

I suddenly had the funny feeling of being a spectator in her life, with no control over her or her body. She was crossing the quad to go to lunch, well aware that everyone was staring. At least if I'd been there, she wouldn't have felt so alone.

In the cafeteria, a familiar yet unmemorable guy gave Lissa a tentative smile and a small wave from across the room. Her ex-boyfriend, Aaron. She smiled back in that warm way of hers, only for it to drop when what looked like a life-size china doll slapped his hand down and scowled up at him.

Make that short-tempered killer bitch doll from hell.

She was tiny for a Moroi, with perfectly curled blonde ringlets and round cheeks. Her sky blue eyes burned with inexplicable hatred and contempt, seemingly directed at Lissa. My blood boiled just looking at the little girl. She really couldn't have been more than twelve.

Lissa, peaceable as always, quickly sat down beside Natalie without causing a fuss. In hushed tones, she asked, "Who is _that_?"

"The little blonde girl?" One of Natalie's friends, Erin, replied. "That's Mia Rinaldi. She's Aaron's girlfriend."

Lissa expected to feel something on hearing that—jealousy, envy, anger, _anything_, really. However we were both surprised that she felt only mild interest, as though Erin was boring her with the latest in Moroi politics.

Lissa had never really been with Aaron because she loved him. It had just seemed like the expected thing to do at the time. Take two friends with the same golden, regal looks and superior positions in the Academy's complicated hierarchy, and have them get together. Of course that's going to turn out the star couple of St. Vladimir's, capable of ruling the entire student body without even trying.

And that had been what had happened when Lissa and Aaron were together. No party was cool unless they were there. If they thought taking cheesy walks around the campus at sunrise was romantic, then it was. If Lissa thought lilac and yellow went together, then they did. It was strangely fascinating to watch, plus it got me invites to all of the Academy's best parties.

Brief flashes of their time as a couple danced before Lissa's eyes, but again she was a little disappointed that the memories didn't instil more of a reaction in her.

"Does she have some kind of problem with me?" Lissa asked, not afraid of her little blonde opponent, just upset that someone hated her already and she hadn't even been back a full day.

"There are some pretty creative rumours floating around about her, but—"

At that moment, I was sucked out of Lissa's mind, and unceremoniously dumped back into my own. I shot upright on the bed, choking and muttering, my mind wheeling. That was the longest I'd ever been in Lissa's head.

Although I had to say, the cut-off point had been pretty bad timing, I was glad to see she was alright so far without me, even if she did have an angry porcelain midget shooting daggers at her across the cafeteria.

It was hard to hold back from calling McDonnagh and forcing him to come pick me up so I could kick Little Miss Barbie's butt into next week. I knew, however, that that line of thinking would get me nowhere, and so made a firm promise to myself that if Mia Rinaldi decided to take the next step and waste her breath threatening Lissa, I would act.

Content in my resolve, I decided on attending to something else that needed to be done.

My hands were twisting the lock open before I could fully comprehend what I was doing. I slid through the open doorway and shut the door firmly behind me. The small attic staircase led down onto the bright first floor landing below. I took little time to examine the low-ceilinged chamber I was in before taking the stairs two at a time—and being a little louder than I would've liked.

I swung off the bottom banister and made my way down the second flight of stairs to the ground floor. The scent of food wafted from the kitchen, so I decided to start my search there.

Just as I suspected, Ma was hunched over the large cooking range, stirring two of several saucepans at once. I quickly noticed there was something—possibly bread—baking in the oven, too.

I guessed blood whores had cause to eat a lot.

I leaned against the door frame and crossed my arms as Ma began to sing to herself in an impossibly shrill, haunting voice. The lyrics weren't in any language I'd ever heard before, but they would've had the same impact whether I knew them or not. I felt the song slither deep down into my bones, which caused a convulsive shiver to roll up my back.

Ma's song faded as a girl, maybe a little older than me, appeared through the back door wearing a pair of impossibly tight jeans and high heeled boots. Her fiery red hair hung almost to her waist, and her greyish blue eyes zeroed in on me the second she walked in. Her neck was littered with bruises.

"Ma, there's a girl watching you. You realise that, don't you?" she sneered.

"I knowed she was here from the secon' she left the attic."

The girl's pretty heart shaped face twisted as she looked me over from head to toe. She was taller, but I was curvier, something I was sure an obvious blood whore could get pretty jealous of.

"You got a name, then?"

I stared at her. "I really hope that's a rhetorical question."

Her icy gaze didn't falter, and yet she didn't make any further comments. Apparently my use of semi-sophisticated vocabulary had been completely lost on her.

"My name is Rose Hathaway. Pleasure to meet you," I added dryly.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," came the girl's sweet reply. She leaned close to Ma, presumably telling her whatever she'd come in to say. Turning back with that same innocent smile, she called, "You better watch yourself around here, Rose. With this many girls self-obsessed girls under one roof, it's kill or be killed. You'd do well to remember that."

_A valuable piece of advice_, I thought as she flounced back out again, _and yet somehow she didn't seem sincere in the least. _

After that I waited around the kitchen until dinner was ready, and thankfully didn't run into any more of the house's residents. Ma continued to sing in that high, chilling voice and didn't attempt to make conversation as I wandered around the ground floor, though never straying far from the kitchen.

When the dinner bell rang, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, anything I had thought up was totally unimaginative compared to what I saw.

It didn't seem like a thirty strong crowd of blood whores sitting around the table. It almost appeared as though they were girls getting ready for a night out at a club. Some were in dressing gowns but had immaculate hair and makeup done, while others had shockingly fitted mini dresses already on, but were sitting in rollers or hadn't yet drawn in their eyebrows.

There was plenty of giggling to strengthen the party atmosphere, but thankfully it wasn't extending to me. I could feel bile rising in my throat as I surveyed the throng of intoxicated dhampir girls, who, instead of sitting around waiting for their next fix, should've been in school learning to protect themselves and those around them.

I caught the eyes of the girl I'd met earlier in the crowd. She flashed an icy smile especially for me. I returned it with as much venom as I could muster.

Without another look behind me I marched over to the counter and picked up one of the many plates heaped with food. I gave a reluctant nod of thanks to Ma, who was watching the girls in the indulgent way a mother watches her baby take its first steps.

I was halfway to the door when I heard my name mentioned.

"Girls, I think we need to give our newest recruit a warm welcome. Rose? Won't you stay and say hello?"

I stopped and turned back. "Try me on a day that doesn't end in 'y'."

"Hostility, eh? Well—"

"You're one to talk. I don't even know your name yet," I interrupted smoothly, leaving the small kitchen without missing a beat.

"Alice," she called after me. "Remember that name, Rosemarie. I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare."

I was glad to be back inside my room, finally. After checking and double-checking the lock on the door, I sat down on the edge of the bed and picked at my food with a fork. It smelled delicious, but I was wary of drugs or something else equally dangerous hidden inside. Eventually, the scent of a good dinner was too much for me, and some part of my brain reminded me that the last time I'd eaten was in Portland.

After wolfing down what I hoped was beef, I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, my mind already rapidly considering escape routes. My fingers itched for pen and paper, so I could draw out a plan of the house. I made a promise that I would scout around the commune in the morning, and look for the road out of town.

Some time during my scheming, the exhaustion and stress of the day won out, and I must've drifted off to sleep.

Only to be woken again by heavy footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh, _Rooooosie_?" a voice called through the door. A haunting, malicious voice that set my pulse into double time. I bolted out of bed and leaped for the lock on the door. I realised with a little embarrassment that it was still locked tight, just like it had been for the past five hours.

Still a little too on edge to leave the door, I sat down on the floor with my back against it. Another knock soon made me jump.

"Rosie? Why on earth won't you answer the door?" The voice was too sweet; too fake. Almost every other word was exaggerated. I knew enough to recognise who it was. Alice had had it in for me ever since I'd arrived. Taunting me seemed like an acceptable step up.

Until she spoke again, and I realised that I was being naïve, and something much, much worse was happening.

"I'm sorry she's being difficult; this is her first day here, you understand."

Two people, at least, outside my door: one of whom was a seemingly spiteful bitch. I assumed the second person was a visiting friend, seeing as they didn't know I'd just got here.

Then, like a slap in the face, I remembered where I was. This place only got one type of visitor. But surely the person outside couldn't be…

"Time is money, Dhampir. I have paid to use her service for this night only, and I will not have my time wasted!"

It was a man's voice, harsh and heavily accented. His English sounded a little sketchy. He definitely sounded way older than anyone living here, excluding Ma, of course.

"I know. I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me, I may know how to get her out."

I heard receding footsteps on the stairs, and Alice shouting for someone called Mara.

The man outside continued to bang on the door. I cowered away from the noise, knowing that, in public, this was the moment I'd make out to others I was fearless.

But a lot of things could go unknown behind closed doors. In truth, I'd never dealt with anything like this before. Every dhampir under this roof was like a walking, talking embodiment of something I'd always been told was shameful and wrong. And even though I'd been here for almost a day, it had really dawned on me that I was surrounded by blood whores.

But now, with a Moroi man just on the other side of the door, already having made it explicitly clear what he intended to do with me… I was frightened.

Not of him, per se. Of this whole situation, of the fact that instead hanging out with my friends and training to become a guardian, I was hiding in an attic from blood whores and a sleazy Moroi who intended to have his way with me. Some life.

I wrapped my arms around my knees as I realised they were shaking. Suddenly, the knocking outside cut off abruptly, and a low, whispering voice echoed right by my head.

"I know you're near, little dhampir girl. I can hear you breathing."

Falling away from the door, I half-crawled hurriedly to the other side of the room. For some reason, through all the fear, my heart began to ache. The man's accent was Eastern European, and reminded me of Dimitri so much that I began to wish he was here, even though I hardly knew the man. He always just seemed like the most in control of the four guardians, and something in me was drawn to that. Out of my comfort zone like this, I took an odd sort of comfort from deriding myself, and whispering that if Dimitri or any of the other guardians had been here, they wouldn't be shaking in a corner. They would face the problem head on, like I should be doing.

How could I ever protect Lissa from Strigoi if I couldn't face a couple girls my own age?

"Little dhampir girl, you will answer me. If you do not, I will be saying to your land woman."

With that voice brought back a sense of greater reasoning in me. I stepped back and looked at myself, and I was disgusted. Yes, I was trapped in a room and would be used for sex and blood should I leave, but Rose Hathaway had handled bigger problems than that.

I stood up, still a little shaky, and walked to the door. "If you think I'm leaving this room for you, you're in for a shock."

"Ah, hello, at long last," came the man's gravelly voice. The door handle rattled.

"Door's locked," I called triumphantly, pleased my confidence was returning.

"Doors can be removed."

"So can important body parts," I muttered, but quietly pulled the wooden chest over the doorway just in case.

"Dhampir, you are wasting valuable—"

And then the power went out. The room plunged into darkness, and my newfound confidence along with it. I felt for the chest, anxious and alone, and leaned against it with my head in my hands. I didn't even have a torch, or a candle. Some guardian I'd have been.

The guy outside the door swore loudly as I once again heard footsteps on the attic stairs.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know what's happened!" Alice cried, her tone leaking false sincerity. "But I got my friend, so we should be able to get Rosie out in just a second."

I stared at the door, wondering how on earth she could be so confident that I'd leave.

I was quick to find out. There was a sickening click, and the lock on the door began to grind as it turned. It was impossible to open it from the outside, but I couldn't doubt my own ears. Whoever was on the other side was opening it.

Unable to see anything, all I could do was listen as the door creaked open and the chest in front of it was shoved out of the way.

My heart pounded in my chest, stuttering a terrifyingly unsteady beat as an unknown amount of people crossed the dark room.

And then there were hands on me, so many hands. Grasping at my arms, pulling my hair, unzipping my jeans, holding my legs, pulling at my shirt. They were everywhere, and it was horrific.

I stopped breathing. I decided in that moment that, when faced with the decision, I'd rather be dead than a blood whore. I couldn't live a life I found sickening and wrong. Better to just end it all.

Until I heard the voices downstairs.

"Rose? Roza!"

"Rosie!"

"Rose! Are you here?"

The guardians. I opened my mouth and drew in a rattling breath. My head was light and my vision was blurring, but I tried for the loudest scream I could.

It was too weak. There was no way they'd reach me; no way they'd make it in time. I was too close to the edge.

There was something sharp on my collarbone, moving up to my neck. Something which sent an ominous thrill through me.

I kicked and screamed as the Moroi bit into me. My arms and legs flailed, hitting anything I could reach in the dark room. Gradually, my punches weakened and my eyes closed, and my rage didn't make much sense to me. I lay back on the floor and let the hands do their work, because my mind didn't really care any more.

But the door flew open again, quite suddenly, and the guardians stood on the threshold. I'd never been so relieved in my life. They rushed in, Kudrov in front.

Except it wasn't Kudrov. It sure looked like him, but when he spoke, it was with the Moroi man's voice. "If you have no cooperation, Little Dhampir Girl, there are much worst places in the world than this."

Then Bailey was in my face, telling me with Kirova's voice that I could go off and live with blood whores for all she cared. McDonnagh sounded just like my mom, saying I'd always been an accident from the start and that was why she never visited me. She couldn't believe I'd managed to tangle myself into this mess, and that I'd simultaneously failed to protect Lissa, which was my one meaning in life.

What was certainly the most heartbreaking voice to hear was Lissa's. Dimitri stepped into the room as her voice spoke, his lips not moving. It was almost like he was speaking to me through his eyes.

"How could you, Rose? How could you leave me, fail to keep me safe when I needed you most? I trusted you to keep me away from these people and now you've just left me here! That's not something a friend does, Rose. But you were never really my friend, were you?"

"Lissa! Lissa, listen to me—"

The guardians began to converge, joining the other hands holding me down. Their faces leered over me, taunting and frightening in the moonlit room. I kicked at anyone within reach, but no one seemed to care.

_This is it,_ I thought. _Death has finally caught up to me. I will die here tonight, but it will be alright. Better to die and find peace than to live and loathe every day of your existence._

My heart sped up impossibly as they leaned over me. Dimitri, now an odd hybrid of the Moroi man and himself, lowered his fangs to my neck and bit down hard. I felt warm liquid running over my skin, felt the endorphins and the dizziness from blood loss.

He was going to drain me. I could feel it.

And then I couldn't. My brain caught up to the situation and, like the flick of a light switch, everything was gone. I was sitting on my bed in the attic, alone. There was no blood on my neck, and no hands grabbing at me. There wasn't even a Moroi man outside the door. It was still locked and shut like it had been earlier.

I fell over the side of the bed and scrabbled desperately for the phone in my bag. Palms sweating, I looked over the four pre-programmed numbers with desperation. I needed another human being to tell me that I was going to be okay, and that it was all just a dream.

Or was it? I'd never had such a detailed dream, I reasoned somewhat hastily as I dialled the one person I somehow knew would understand what I was going through right now. My earlier worry of being drugged crossed my mind. Had Ma put something in the food? Had Alice? Surely I couldn't have come up with something like that alone.

Everything my mind was stressing over suddenly dimmed for a moment as the rings died out and an alert voice came on the line. His vigilance, even at this time of the night, almost made me smile.

"Rose. Rose! What is it? What's happened?"

After a long pause, I spoke. The word came out as one long, grateful sigh. "Dimitri."

Maybe it was just my imagination, but in the silence that followed, I would've sworn on anything I owned that I heard someone creeping silently down the attic stairs, away from my door.

* * *

**Hope that wasnt really dumb:|**

**I know some of you probably didnt really get what was happening there, but neither do Rose and I at the moment! Haha:D this is one of the subplots i was talking about, so all will be revealed in later chapters.**

**It was really fun to write this actually, and my inspiration came from Toy Story 2, believe it or not. You all remember that part where has a nightmare that he's chucked in the bin, and there are lots of arms grabbing at him and pulling him down. I had a similar daydream about Rose before I wrote this story, and from there I worked backwards and thought "why would that be happening?" and that's how this story was born, so there ye go!**

**I was wondering if you guys could review and tell me what you want to happen next chapter. Do you want Dimitri to make a gallant appearance? Do you want Rose and Dimitri to have a touching DMC on the phone? Do you want an aggressive ginger leprechaun named Jimmy to cameo? The world's your oyster, tell me what you think!**

**Thanks a bunch guys, and be expecting a CW update, hopefully soon!**

**Annie x**


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